During the twentieth century, the New Zealand Red Cross was one of the most distant national societies from the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies. Its engagement with them was shaped by its own complicated beginnings, and by both intersecting relationships with the British Red Cross and the challenges imposed by distance. The chapter examines the points of contact between this particular national society and the Movement; whether they were independently sustained or mediated through government actions or the influence of larger societies such as the British Red Cross; and how they changed over time. It is a study of a national society looking outwards, but also of the ways that the Movement’s lofty principles were understood and played out internally, often becoming submerged in the sheer ‘busyness’ of local Red Cross activity within New Zealand. The growing sense of New Zealand’s distinctive contribution to the Movement from the 1960s is examined in relation to the work of its overseas delegates and representatives, and to Red Cross activities in the Asia-Pacific region. A broader question interrogated here is what it means to ‘be Red Cross’ in a particular national context.

This chapter deploys theories of practice to frame an account of dining out in 2015. A synoptic account of the practice of dining out is presented. The rationale of the practice is discussed and three core guiding principles widely shared across the population are identified – variety, comfort and concern. The implementation of the principles is not uniform as events can be arranged in many different ways to satisfy these requirements and must be tailored to particular occasions, companions and venues. When people translate these principles into specific events conviviality is emphasised; dining out is fundamentally a social and sociable event. Arrangements are tinged by contrasting orientations towards ‘Art’ and ‘Ease’. We emphasise the use of variety in the style and type of restaurant in marking distinction and social status. Despite a shared dominant understanding and persistent basic orientations, performances vary a great deal, raising the question of whether there is a specifically British way of dining out. Discussion hints at how theories of practice differ from other approaches to explaining change and continuity.

This chapter offers a reflection on two features of modern/contemporary western humanitarianism: arrogance and compassion. The objective of the chapter is to put forward and historicise arrogance, offering an ad hoc – usable – definition, and to do the same with compassion. The chapter engages with the historiography of this increasingly densely populated field, offering reflections on the state of humanitarian history both within and without this edited collection.

Eating in a domestic setting in the company of friends and non-resident kin is a significant form of social occasion in contemporary England. Most people eat out occasionally at the homes of friends or non-resident family members. People derive exceptionally high levels of enjoyment and satisfaction from such occasions. This chapter collates data about hosts and guests, using evidence from both the survey and interviews about practical arrangements, the company kept and the foods eaten. It describes different forms of domestic hospitality, considers what food is suitable for which occasion, and the effort put into cooking. It also examines how the occasions are orchestrated and guests made to feel comfortable. The role of reciprocity in maintaining relationships is noted. Domestic hospitality is largely informal with sociability rather more important than the food served.

Eating out in a restaurant was a very gratifying experience in 1995 and, by and large, it remains so, although on all dimensions satisfaction has diminished. This chapter investigates aspects of the performance of dining out in commercial settings, examining in turn the nature and changes in the purposes of dining out, typical companions, service, dishes and meals. In each instance we describe contemporary practice and, where possible, make comparison with 1995. Restaurant meals have become increasingly ordinary events, consistent with a process of familiarisation. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of events remain special, involving dressing up, and eating several courses over an extended period of time, which do deliver great enjoyment, reflecting polarisation of provision within the market. Diversity of experience is increasing, apparent in the range of foods and cuisines consumed.

This chapter introduces the subject of humanitarianism, outlines the various constituent elements that make up the Red Cross Movement and gives an overview of the current state of scholarship on the subject. It introduces the three themes, and summarises the contributions made to these themes by the chapters brought together in the volume. Finally, it indicates avenues for future research.

This chapter begins by examining expressions of social division other than class. We describe the clientele of different types of restaurant which attract differentially the young and the old, men and women, and different ethnic minority groups. Indian restaurants and curry are discussed, as are interviewee reactions to fast food. The epitome of mass consumption, fast food is incorporated into almost everyone’s repertoire. We also examine vegetarianism and veganism, practices once considered as alternative. The chapter also discusses innovations in formats for the presentation of food in restaurants.

This chapter addresses the issue of humanitarian aid during a conflict that today is largely forgotten, the Biafra civil war of the late 1960s, and in doing so re-examines the question of whether humanitarian aid can do harm in times of war, by prolonging the conflict. When the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), complying with international rules, grounded its planes because federal Nigerian authorities demanded it, the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) objected to the decision. This created considerable tension between the NRC and the ICRC. The chapter discusses the impact of Red Cross aid to Biafra, the role of the NRC in the conflict and its objection to ICRC policy in the Biafra crisis.

In 1974 the British Red Cross (BRCS) conducted an ‘Attitude Survey’, the analysis of which concluded that the public knew much more about the organisation’s wartime than peacetime activities, and that the number of younger members was in decline. Three decades earlier, the BRCS had faced a crisis in identity, leading to the repositioning of the charity at a time of tremendous political, social and economic change, including much more emphasis on international humanitarian aid. Indeed, in 1947 the BRCS’s Public Relations Department stated that the public needed to know that the ‘British Red Cross still exists’. To what extent did the end of the Second World War and the launch of the National Health Service in 1948 affect policy, philanthropy, volunteerism and public perceptions of the charity? Drawing on the wider historiography on postwar humanitarianism, the Welfare State and voluntarism, this chapter analyses the way in which the BRCS adapted, and co-operated with State services and other charities between 1946 and 1974.

This chapter examines the League of Red Cross Societies, founded in 1919, and focuses on one national society, the Australian Red Cross, and how it realigned itself as part of the transition from war to peace in the 1920s. It did this, in part, through the emerging global programme of the Junior Red Cross. To allow children to gather together under the auspices of the Red Cross to foster and extend its work beyond national borders and into the international spaces was led by the League of Red Cross Societies. Emerging national Red Cross societies such as the Australian Red Cross found value and guidance from the Movement’s new federated body, and played a part in ensuring its survival and success.

This chapter takes one episode of Spain’s modern history as a case study to move the focus of Red Cross historiography towards less rigid national and colonial categories. It focuses on the relief initiatives carried out during the last war of Cuban independence in 1895–8. It suggests that it was here that the American Red Cross openly made its push for world domination of humanitarian power, and challenged the model of colonial expansion practised by other national societies under a model set up and controlled by the International Committee of the Red Cross.